Petanque - The French Game of Boules The game of boules, otherwise known as pétanque , is perhaps the sport that is closest to French hearts. Similar to British lawn bowling or Italian bocce , the French version is traditionally played with metallic balls on a dirt surface beneath plane trees, with a glass of pastis at hand. The local boulodrome is a social focal point in southern France. The object of the game is to throw your balls  usually with somewhat of an arched back-spin  so that they land closer to the small object ball (cochonnet ) than those of your opponent, or strike and drive the object ball toward your other balls and away from your opponent's. Equipment check The only really essential equipment is a set of three steel boules. A set costs anywhere from US$5 for a rusty old set you may be lucky enough to come across to US$120 for a competition set. To be legitimate for competition play, a boule must conform to the following specifications: Weight: From 650 to 800 grams [1lb. 7oz.  1lb.

12oz.] Diameter: From 70.5 to 80.0mm [2.78"  3.15"] A player who specializes in pointing (or placing) should normally favor a small, heavy boule. A heavy boule is slightly more difficult to displace, and a boule of the minimum allowable diameter presents a smaller target to the opposition's shooters. Women and young boys, usually having smaller hands and less arm strength, frequently compromise by selecting a boule that is both light and small. A shooter should choose a lighter boule for the best chance of success. This may seem surprising, but in fact the decreased momentum of a light boule gives it the best chance of remaining in place after knocking an opponent's boule out of the game (the perfect, and much admired, shot known as a carreau ). A shooter should not use a small boule: a shot that just barely misses with a small boule might have been effective if only that extra 5 mm had been on the radius! La Boule Bleue of Marseille has a special web page enabling you to pick the right boule for yourself in a step-by-step process.

In choosing a boule, however, perhaps the overriding consideration is "play with what feels comfortable to you." Desirable but non-essential equipment by Charles Homualk de Lille A proper cochonnet is turned from beech wood and is between 2.5 cm and 3.5 cm (1" to 1-3/8") in diameter. In the South of France, the home of pétanque, a cochonnet can be bought for very small change indeed. It may help to have a brightly-colored cochonnet, especially in conditions of low light, but the rules specify that a cochonnet may be stained but not painted. A cochonnet is not regarded as essential, since in any gathering of pétanqueurs many people can be counted on to provide one. At a pinch, many natural objects can stand in. A steel tape measure, preferably in centimeters Usefulness of a tape measure should be obvious: to settle arguments as to which of two boules is closer to the cochonnet. Very non-essential equipment As with all sports, equipment shops will try and sell you whatever they can, with the assurance that "you'll find you really need this".

The following pétanque trivia is definitely not necessary  although some of it is undeniably fun.... Peaked cap for playing against the sun Calipers for really fine measurements of distance Hand-held score keeper (sometimes provided with an image of Fanny on the back) Powerful magnet on the end of a string: for those who have trouble bending down to pick up boules Special cloth for wiping grit off boules Here are several sources of pétanque equipment in the USA, U.K., and France: Pétanque America Petanque.org: Boules around the world BOULES AROUND THE WORLD by Jac Verheul, and Mike Pegg gave a very helping hand in the translation. After the birth of the game of petanque in 1910 (some sources say 1907) in La Ciotat near Marseille the game soon spread over the southern part of France. A short time later the game was being played all over France and after the Second World War the whole Western Europe and several other countries. At the beginning of the 21st century petanque is practised in more than 50 countries on all continents.

Although it is certain that petanque is the most well known and practised game of boules in the whole world, there are still a lot of other types. In France, as with the rest of the world, there are games that are much older than petanque (actually, petanque is the youngest descendant of the vast family of boules, bocce and bowls). Here is a summary of some of the better-known games. Pétanque - the famous Provençal game of boules - The Lou Messugo Blog Print Pétanque - the famous Provençal game of boules The game of pétanque, or boules as it is more commonly known out of France, is practically a provencal institution. It's a wonderful game played on just about any dusty, gritty surface, at any time of year. It's common to see people having a quick game in a motorway "aire" (rest/picnic stop) to break their journey, or by the side of the road while having a picnic. It is played throughout France but it is most commonly associated with the south having been invented in La Ciotat, near Marseilles.

For me it is quintessentially provencal and before I moved to the south no matter where we played, whether in a dusty square in Paris, a windswept beach in Brittany, on a track between the vines in Burgundy, or in a friend's garden it always made me feel summery, like I was on holiday in Provence. I love the sound of the "clink" as the heavy metal balls strike each other and the enthusiasm and camaraderie of the players. Now I'm lucky enough to live in "summer holiday land" we're surrounded by lovely places to play and we even have a terrain de boules, or pétanque pitch, in the garden at Lou Messugo which my "boules boy" (JF) built himself. It has been the venue for many a heated game. I can't count the number of times he has gambled away our house, or car or even one of the kids in a battle lost after too many pastis late at night. He can play for hours with his friends but never seems to win. Luckily they have yet to hold him to his bets and we still have the house, the car and both children!

Perhaps the most iconic terrain de boules in France (hotly contested by the Place des Lices in St Tropez) is twenty minutes from us in St Paul de Vence. It is a prestigious place to play, frequented by celebrities, locals and tourists alike and made famous by its association with Yves Montand, Lino Ventura and Fernandel who used to play here. It is here that a most unusual mascot can be found. Pétanque is played to 13 points and if a player loses shamefully without having scored at all, 0-13, he or she has to "faire Fanny" or "kiss Fanny" to the jeers (albeit lighthearted and humorous jeers) of the winners. Fanny is usually a puppet kept in the clubhouse but in St Paul it is a sculpture of a pair of buttocks in white frilly knickers behind a curtain created by none other than the renowned French sculptor César.

It is on a wall in the Café de la Place next to the boules pitch, so what better way to end a visit to St Paul than by sipping an apéro (pastis, naturally) on the café's terrace while watching the boules and taking a peek at France's most famous "Fanny". It is possible to hire balls and take lessons here (inscription and information at the Tourist Office in St Paul). Every village or town in the area has its terrain de boules, most of which are very picturesque, lined with plane trees and reeking atmosphere. But for a completely different take on the traditional game head to Haut-de-Cagnes, the medieval hill village in the centre of Cagnes sur Mer (20 minutes from Lou Messugo). Here they play "Square Boules" – yes, pétanque with square "balls"! The streets are too steep to play regular boules so in 1980 a member of the local club invented a variant with balls that wouldn't roll. Eh voilà! Pétanque Carrée! It is played in two streets, both uphill and down and even has a World Championship around 25th August every year.

Pétanque players certainly have a sense of humour. For new converts to the game or aficionados who want more information and a place to buy genuine balls there's a small museum, le Musée de la Pétanque, in Vallauris. Housed in one of the factories that produces the most well-known balls "OBUT" this little museum shows the history of the game, how the balls are made and lets you try out different styles on their own terrain. It is only 25 minutes from Lou Messugo. The balls make a great souvenir of Provence and it really is a fun game, perfect for all ages. In the words of one of our guests, Matt from Montreal, "Thanks especially for the use of your boules set – I think I've found a new passion". Have you ever played boules? Or a game like it? If you enjoyed this, why not PIN it! Check our Schedule of Events and Come Play Petanque with Us! Thanks to FPUSA for the video! Petanque is a fun, healthy activity for people of all ages.

Youngsters appreciate the development of important hand-eye skills, middle-agers love the fresh air, using their aiming and tossing skills, and participating in the many social events tied in with a great day of Petanque. Senior Citizens, too, can play petanque - in fact, many of the U.S. and World Champions are in this group (although Juniors have National and World Championships too!). Petanque is a very welcoming sport for handicapped players as well as the game was developed with wheelchairs in mind! (Read some history here) With everyone from Oprah to Dr. Mehmet Oz encouraging us to "get outdoors and get healthy" the game of Petanque is tailor-made to help you do just that. Oakhurst Petanque Club, located near Yosemite National Park, is proud of each of its 80 current members and visitors are always welcome to come play in our regular Saturday morning or Wednesday afternoon practice sessions, and members of the club can play in any Federation of Petanque USA events for which they qualify and are welcomed at any FPUSA club in the nation! See the other pages on our website for full information about our location, our people, and what fun we enjoy on a regular basis.

Anthony Bourdain of television's Travel Channel goes to France...and meets up with the hard realities of pètanque! Play the movie (below) and enjoy a good chuckle! Watch in HD (720) and full screen! And this is only about half our 80 current members! It's Easy to Play Pètanque! All you need to do, on a Saturday morning, or Wednesday afternoon during the Daylight Savings Time part of the year, is show up! Everyone in our club is eager to meet new friends, especially those who might enjoy our common interest in this zany old French game. Pètanque is so easy to learn, literally taking just minutes, and the scoring is easy, as well. What is not easy about the game is the way you become affected by wanting to learn all the things to help you play better games. After all: winning IS fun, and gradually you will come to know how to better your game by bettering yourself. Each time you step on the court to play, you can know that everyone else in the world who plays Petanque plays by the same basic rules. Your first lesson will involve these points: 1.

Generally a coin is flipped, or something is done to determine which team will shoot first. Within that team, it will also be decided (sometimes by a captain) who will be the first player. That player will draw a circle in the dirt, and should wipe out any circles from previous games which may lead to confusion. The circle should be a little larger than your (or anyone else's) two feet, and will stand in that circle and toss the coconnet (the little brightly-colored ball). Feet together now. And toss the "little one" somewhere between 6 giant-steps and 10 giant steps distance from your circle. (Giant steps refers to meters, the standard of measurement in Petanque worldwide. Oddly one 39-inch step is exactly a meter. If you practice it.) 2. If your captain agrees you'll also toss one of your two (if there are three on your team) or three (if there are two or one on your team) boules. The object is to plant it as closely as possible to the cochonnet. You've now had your "play" and it's time for the opposing team to toss.

Their object, is to roll or toss a boule so it comes to a stop closer to the cochonnet than yours. If they cannot do it, they will keep shooting - and using up boules - trying to get closer than yours. OR the famed "carreau" might come in to play. It's perfectly honorable for the opposing team to take an aerial shot (carreau) at your ball to smack it out of contention. This of course would mean that whatever boule they have on the court would be the closest boule to the cochonnet, and, therefore, it would become your team's turn to play. 3. Back and forth, the teams jockey for the closest boules. Somebody's trying to get closer; somebody's trying to get even closer or to remove (smack!) offending boules of your team to make way for theirs. 4. The game is over when one team has expended all its boules. 5. All gather around the cochonnet to determine whose boule was closest - and that team will score a point. If another of their boules is second-nearest the cochonnet, then they'd have two points.

But if your boule is the second closest, the counting stops: the opposition scores 1 point. 6. Now play moves to the opposite end of the terrain, and your opposition has won first shot. They will a. clear any previous circles from the area, b. draw a new circle and c. shoot the first boule of round two. And so it goes until one team attains 13 points and wins the game. REWARDS BEYOND PETANQUE Petanque is a great, and highly social game. The fun of the game carries over into the many social occasions which surround competitions, and generally food is what the players look for after a wonderful day of play. (Click the photo above to join the party!) As a club having members with great personalities, our players slide very quickly from the heat of the games into socializing. Our potlucks and special occasions are frequent and well known! After all, don't we ALL like a nice reward from a hard day's competition? Becoming a member of our club guarantees fun, excitement, and very, very special friends. Members can play any time they wish, in addition to our Saturday morning and Wednesday afternoon play. Come join us!

We're right next door to the Boys and Girls Club of Oakhurst, and between the scenic Fresno River and Oak Creek. Here's more information. TWO FEELGOOD STORIES OF SURVIVAL After the loss of our beautiful London Plane tree to a hungry beaver (who apparently lacked the foresight to realize that there was no way to get the tree *out* of the OPC terrain), Jim Elliott and Manny obtained and planted three replacement trees. (Thanks again guys!) What we didn't realize at the time, was that the tree's will to survive would allow it to eventually regrow itself!(below) What started as a few suckers here and there, turned into a significant new trunk, and it now looks like the original tree is doing well, and on it's way to once again providing shade to the happy boulers!! The second picture, below - although I wasn't able to get a very good shot of it - relates to the second of our "two rivers" namesakes. Oak Creek, the normally-seasonal creek has dried up every year I've been at OPC, and so many of us this season have expressed sadness about the fish trapped in the pool of water under the bridge, as it gets smaller, and smaller.

The creek stopped running during the summer as it always does, but this year, the combination of late and heavy rains and snow allowed the pool to hang in there until late September, when we had an early storm. The good amount of rainfall succeeded in restarting the creek, so the fish survived this year! What a treat! Life goes on... Heckmondwike Petanque Club | The exciting game for all ages, imported from Europe and also known as boules. The exciting game for all ages, imported from Europe and also known as boules. Menu Lucky number this week is 33 and the lucky person is Margaret A. Congratulations Margaret. This entry was posted in Uncategorized on Starting the new year off in fine form, our lucky winner this week is Alan Mc with number 38. Well done Alan. This entry was posted in Uncategorized on 2 Replies Heckmondwike Petanque Club wishes all of its members and friends a very happy and healthy new year. We are now drawing towards the end of our fifth year since formation in early 2012.

It’s a great sight to see so many folk still turning up to play a very enjoyable game, if a bit frustrating at times, and enjoying a brilliant social and friendly atmosphere. Long may it continue. If our hopes for 2017 are realised then we will continue to make progress with expanded playing facilities, more competitions as well as more social play. We hope to encourage more new members and perhaps even encourage schools to give petanque a try. If the French do in deed include petanque as an Olympic sport in 2024 and we are fortunate enough to get our hoped for new terrain then petanque in our area could grow significantly during 2017. Our first experiment with a Petanque Singles Ladder is launched today and 24 entrants are now either quaking in their beds awaiting a first challenge or feeling very positive and making their first challenge. Which ever it is, just enjoy the games and no doubt over the next four months we will all be up and down the “snakes and ladders” board. There is still at least 5 spaces for folk to join if they want to give it a try.

Just fill in a card in the club house and pop it in the next available slot. As Kath and I are not back to play until 27th Jan you can start above us on the ladder. Just remember we will be practising in Majorca and hoping to start climbing when we get back. The operative word being “hoping”. If you find you don’t fancy the four months of singles play you can just remove your card and let everyone below move up a space. Good luck to everyone at least until 27th Jan. We are hoping that our request for assistance and funding will be included in the agenda for the Batley & Spen District Committee meeting that is planned for 7th February at Cleckheaton Town Hall. Any members that could offer support even just by their presence on that evening will be very welcome as we try to present what we feel is a worthy argument to support our request. We have had excellent support and guidance from our local councillors Viv, David and Steve which we hope could lead to a positive result for us. Finally a word of thanks to the harmonious Hecky PC choir and members for their kind birthday wishes. Good luck to everyone and see you all soon.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized on Leave a reply First of all we have news that new Petanque Rules have been issued by the governing body of Petanque that will be effective from 1st January 2017. So sorry if it’s short notice but it seems quite a few folk have only very recently become aware. There is a copy of them in the RULES PAGE of this blog plus a copy on our club notice board. I have also put along side them a list of the significant changes. Most prominent change is that you only get one throw of the coche. If it’s not a legal throw then the opposing team are permitted to PLACE the coche where they want!!!!. You’d better get practising throwing the coche straight away. Other significant points include the following: the throwing circle MUST be marked and if anyone picks up the circle before all boules have been thrown then only his opponents can put it back and continue throwing. The team of the guy who picked it up cannot throw their remaining boules. Might be worth nailing it down rather than just marking it. If anyone picks a boule up before the end is finished his team is not allowed to throw any boules they might still have in their hands.

There is now a weight specification for coches. That is 10-18gms and after measuring the one I have I rather suspect that the dimpled ones sold during last year are 3gms too heavy. OBUT wooden ones seem ok but wooden ones that I think came from leisure boule sets and which I painted are a couple of gms too light. If anyone is curious I suggest you get out your baking scales and try weighing them. There are more changes but I suggest you study the full list in the club house. The Petanque Ladder is just about ready to go. Last Saturday we filled in entry cards with name and contact details. We also drew numbers for our starting positions on the ladder. Sorry to those who weren’t there but a proxy draw was made on your behalf. The list of entrants grew as well on Saturday to an excellent field of 24 members. There was only just enough room on the ladder to accommodate all the cards. However, if other folk want to join in it’s not a problem. I have prepared extra card slots that will be fitted shortly. You will have to start at the bottom though.

Just in case some folk are unable to attend club before new year I’m listing the draw positions below. From 1st Jan you can challenge anyone in the three places above you and you could be challenged by someone in the three places below you. Please check with anyone you challenge that they don’t already have a match arranged because they may not be eligible to play you when they’ve played that game. I’m sure it will sort itself out and become clear as we go along. Rules are on the wall next to the ladder to help.

Ladder Positions for Start Day Colin C 2) Harold C 3) Ian F 4) Doreen H 5) Janet S 6) Patricia C 7) Ken H 8) Alan N 9) Dennis C 10) Jean Mc C 11) Jane F 12) Clive McC 13) Carol McC 14) Roger J 15) Roger F 16) Alma J 17) Peter W 18) Gordon W 19) Jean D 20) Stuart B 21) Amy B 22) Chris B 23) Kath W 24) Clive W Just note that Kath W and I will be away until 27th Jan hence we are at the bottom to minimise congestion. Colin and Patricia also go away during January but I’m not sure of the dates. You may just have to wait a while before trying to battle to the top spot. Over the next few months it will sort itself out. Remember if you can’t or don’t want to accept a challenge and play within two weeks of the challenge being made then you automatically lose the game and swap places with the person challenging you.

I know it’s tough but that’s the rules. If you need a break from the ladder make sure everyone knows before you do it. Good Luck everyone. This entry was posted in Uncategorized on 1 Reply Hopefully, and just in time the Ladder has appeared in the pavilion and with it the chance to climb to the peak of the Petanque singles world. Sixteen members have already entered and there’s room for more so it seems we could get started on New Year’s day. Providing a fair number of the entrants turn out for Wednesday social play we can do the draw for starting positions on the ladder and clarify rules for anyone a little unsure. Matches can be played, anytime, including during our usual social play days. If you can be there Wednesday we can fill in score cards and draw for ladder starting positions. If not there may have to be a proxy draw to be sure we are ready to roll in January. We can discuss the finer details at club but I think at the moment we could run the ladder for four months and see how successful it is. It’s a chance to play some singles which comes with its own tactics. Not always easy to just play with three boules instead of six in your team.

Ends may be over a bit quicker with less boules but reaching 13 can take longer than normal. I’m sure folk will find it interesting. It’s not too late to join in now or if you want to wait to see how it goes you can join in after a few weeks. You will, of course have to start on the bottom rung and work your way up. So, LADDER TRAINING starts tomorrow and you won’t need hard hat, hi-vis jacket or even a parachute. Just make sure you get someone else to foot the ladder. This entry was posted in Uncategorized on French Game Of Petanque (Boules) - YouTube French Game Of Petanque (Boules) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Uploaded on Aug 3, 2011 This video is a beginner's guide with some tips on how to play the popular french game of petanque,(boules) which originated in 1907 and is played by about 17 million people within France and is also popular in Spain. It was filmed with a Sony HDR CX550VE camcorder and my added commentary was added in english. Category The rules of Boules : The Good Life France Written by The Good Life France on November 29, 2011 in Active Holidays Boules – the chances are when you are in France you will either want to play boules or you will be invited to play boules whether you want to or not! The game is traditionally played with metallic balls on a dirt surface (as long as it’s flat and level!) with a glass of pastis or wine at hand. Many villages throughout France have a boules playing area providing a social focal point for neighbours to meet, play or watch the world go by.

We find that our neighbours like nothing better than to give the foreigners a good thrashing on the boules pitch – well that’s what they’d like but it doesn’t always work out that way since boules is about luck as much as anything else we find! Boules or la pétanque as it is sometimes called is played by around 17 million people in France so I’m not exaggerating when I say it is a popular sport in France but anyone can easily and quickly learn to play and enjoy this ancient game (it is believed to originate from an ancient Greek game of tossing coins in about 6 B.C.). The purpose of the game is to win by throwing your balls to land closer to the small ball (cochonnet which literally means piglet) than those of your opponent. Sounds easy but it isn’t always! To help you here are the main rules for playing boules/la pétanque: The game is played between two teams of 1, 2 or 3 players – in singles or doubles each player uses 3 boules, in triples 2 boules per player.

For leisure play it’s okay to use 2 boules per player of any number – we often play two teams of 4 people! To start a coin is generally tossed to decide who begins the game and has the right to place the cochonnet (the small ball). If you haven’t got a cochonnet to hand, you can use an object of similar size – a stone or cork from a bottle is usual! A circle or area is drawn by the winner of the coin toss (or a member of his/her team) in which players must stand and not step outside of while throwing. The circle should be about 0.5m in diameter and at least 1m from any obstacle. Any player from the coin toss winning team then throws the first boule, trying to get it as close as possible to the “cochonnet” but without touching it. Both feet must stay together on the ground and within the circle while throwing and until the boule has landed – although we rarely practice this in our friendly games, it’s good to know this rule in case your French opponents want to make the game more serious!

The winner of the coin toss throws the cochonnet between 4m and 8m, or 6 to 10 paces from the circle in any direction – it must not be closer than 1m from any obstacle or you have to throw again. A player from the other team then steps into the circle and aims to throw a boule closer to the cochonnet than their opponent, or to knock the opponent’s boule away. You must throw within 1 minute of your turn starting. The winner or winning team starts the new round Usually someone produces a tape measure or some means of rule to identify who is nearest to the cochonnet if it’s not glaringly obvious – without it there can be lively debate! That’s pretty much it really – and we’ve always found that our French opponents are happy to explain any “regional rules” as we go along! Related Articles An interview with Philippe from Petanque America An interview with Philippe from Petanque America By Mr.Bordsenius at 2005-09-13 We have had a chat with the man behind Petanqueamerica, Philippe Boets. He is in fact a Belgian that lives in France!

How did you get involved with pï¿½tanque? Well, I grew up in Belgium and every summer our family went to the coast in De Panne, the last town before the French border. As a matter of fact we often walked to France over the beach. Every day, sometimes for hours in a row, we played pï¿½tanque. Parents vs. kids, girls vs. boys, one family vs. another family, whatever. I still have the most wonderful souvenirs from those summers. Many years later, meanwhile settled in Miami, my wife and I were sitting on the beach at 25th St, one Sunday afternoon. We saw a lot of families and suddenly I wondered why I had never seen anyone playing in the States. So, on my next business trip to Europe, I decided to visit the people of La Boule Obut. I was driving from Antwerp, but the weather was so awful that by the time I reached Lille I dreaded driving one mile further. So I left my rental car at Lille airport, flew to Lyon, picked up another rental car and made it to St Bonnet-le-Chateau, just in time for my meeting.

They told me that many people had tried to develop pï¿½tanque in the States: some had predicted that they (ï¿½nd Obut of course) would become millionaires (in dollars) overnight. But some of them never even paid for the boules. One lady, a champion in California, was still active selling Obut boules, but planning to move back to France shortly. Bottom line, not much going on. I told them it would take at least ten years before we would see some results, and that I was willing to accept the challenge. I felt confident in that we already had an import/export company with the necessary infrastructure. I stressed that initially we should concentrate on the family sets, not the expensive boules, because ï¿½to appreciate a DS, people first need to drive a 2CVï¿½. I was years behind on the French car market, but they got the point. After an internal meeting behind closed doors, while I was sitting in the waiting room pondering why anyone in his right mind would have two rental cars in the same country on the same day, Mr de Mazenod of Obut came out.

An imposing, bearded gentleman who for decades was the driving force behind pï¿½tanque in France. ï¿½Vous nous semblez une personne rï¿½alisteï¿½, he said, and agreed right there and then to give us the exclusive distributorship for the United States. I was very proud, although in reality it meant no more than getting the exclusivity for a US brand of ice hockey pucks for,say ï¿½ the Middle East! That was in 1991. How did you start off? Pï¿½tanque seemed such a hard word to pronounce in English that for a while we considered renaming it for the US market. We registered the name ï¿½Kï¿½nickerballï¿½, a wordplay on ï¿½knikkersï¿½, the Dutch word for ï¿½marblesï¿½, and also the origin of the words Knickerbocker and Knicks, but with the first ï¿½kï¿½ clearly pronounced. We had a nice logo, pretty colors, and even registered the trademark.

But soon we dropped the idea, because it meant nothing to the French community, the logical market segment to start with. Also, Peter Mayleï¿½s books about Provence were becoming bestsellers. Provence was ï¿½inï¿½. Provence, pï¿½tanque, would be the way to go. We gave away hundreds of sets to Alliances Franï¿½aises, to French American Chambers of Commerce etcï¿½ Our phone line would always get very busy come July 14 when all these organizations had picnics and raffles and were looking for needed prizes! A first small breakthrough came when Air France ordered 800 sets to give to their Concorde passengers. Obut was quite impressed that we, in Florida, got the order, through a New York PR agency to boot. Remember, there was no Internet! Everything had to go by phone, fax or mail. We needed to reach the people who knew the game, but had no clue where to find the boules, short of hauling them across the Atlantic. We had been putting ads, in the New York Times for instance. Very expensive, and sales never made up for the cost of the ad.

But at least people found out we existed. We spent hours on the phone: some almost cried, happy that one could finally order boules by mail order and pay by credit card. I will never forget the friendly gentleman from NY, who on a Friday night, after telling me how he had enjoyed playing in France, ordered some $300 worth of boules, for a party the next day at his house in Connecticut. I drove to UPS right away: the freight was about $400, yet he was the happiest man on earth entertaining his friends. We also sent out thousands of catalogs to campgrounds, Bed & Breakfasts, youth organisations, schools, etc... After approaching numerous stores and providing plenty of samples, this was around 1995, we got a purchase order for some 2400 sets, from Brookstone, a chain with stores all around the country. We picked up a bottle of champagne at the closest Walgreens and popped it that night in the office! Brookstone wanted it in staggered deliveries, over a 3-month period, so we positioned a container at a warehouse close to their distribution center in Missouri to make sure we would comply with the strict delivery dates. So far, so good.

But after we had delivered one third of the goods, they abruptly cancelled the balance of the order! We were appalled. My lawyer friends ï¿½ I had lots of them in Miami, we played pï¿½tanque and poker together - told me we had a clean case, but that a lawsuit would take years, would cost us a lot in legal fees, not to mention the tons of stress. We ended up shipping the container back from Missouri (by that time we called it ï¿½miseryï¿½) to the plant in France. The boxes were labeled for Brookstone so they had to repackage everything! Thatï¿½s when we made a pledge to stick to one strategy, and one only: teach the game to one player at a time, who in turn would teach some friends, who in turn, etc.. Like a snowball that keeps growing when you roll it. You mentioned there was no Internet in the beginning. How did Internet change things? It saved us. Thereï¿½s no other word for it. Especially because the US was way ahead with Internet at the time.

I think we in the US - the smallest market on the planet as far as boules were concerned - were the first to put a boules catalog online, shortly followed by an online store. In those days, the word ï¿½pï¿½tanqueï¿½ generated 200 hits on AltaVista or Lycos. About 15 on Yahoo. We started getting orders from faraway places, like Japan and New Zealand. That has meanshile slowed down, because I gather there are now distributors over there as well. What about the US pï¿½tanque federation? Of course, FPUSA were first on our ï¿½to callï¿½ list when we started, in ï¿½91. Robert Morrison in Virginia was the president and happy to work with us. He was passionate and they had already taken several initiatives to promote pï¿½tanque. The federation had exactly 825 members then. Ever since, we are regularly in touch with FPUSA and have sponsored them here and there when our budget permits. Right now there are about 1200 members. I know that is an incredibly small increase.

Over the last 14 years, we alone have shipped out thousands of sets ï¿½ mostly leisure sets, I should add ï¿½ to households all over the country, and we know from the repeat orders we are getting that people use them, and want more. We talk to new pï¿½tanque players almost every day of the year. And in the late 1990ï¿½s other importers started selling boules online as well. Then why so little progress? One of the main problems is the sheer size of the country. Many players do not see the need to join if the closest FPUSA club may be 800 miles away. So far only California and Florida have more than three clubs. How many players in Europe would drive or fly from Amsterdam to Barcelona for a day to play a few games? So they play at home, campgrounds, in parks and other public places, and compete amongst themselves, outside the federation. But recently there has been an interesting development, both in Detroit, Michigan and in Portland, Oregon ï¿½ where clubs have split into two smaller clubs at two different locations. It saves the members a lot of driving time and makes both cells grow.

We hope that principle catches on: more clubs, or satellite clubs, if you will, in and around one city. It would be interesting to hear comments from a country like Australia that no doubt is - or was? - faced with the same problem of distance. You spend a lot of time in France. How does that work with Pï¿½tanque America? Indeed, since 2000 we live in a small village in Provence. Thatï¿½s where our kids go to school and I pick up ï¿½baguettesï¿½ at the bakery on my 1966 Velosolex. I do fly to the States several times a year for meetings or for an important tournament. Mario runs the office, inventory and shipping in Miami and knows probably more about todayï¿½s pï¿½tanque scene in the USA than anyone. Mario Teaches new players how to play He talks to potential players and loves to share his experience. I think our customer ratings in Yahoo prove it: the word that sticks out the most is ï¿½customer serviceï¿½. He also happens to be a very good player and goes to tournaments when time permits.

The fact that one of us lives in France, Provence to boot, has a lot of advantages: One day I met Marco Foyot in Marseille at La Marseillaise, we became friends and he agreed twice to come to Miami with me for demonstrations. Philippe Boets With Marco and Benjamin Foyot in Marseille Sometimes I go to the World Championships, like Brussels this year, to meet and cheer on the US team and keep in touch with friends such as Jac Verheul of the Dutch pï¿½tanque league. He is a walking pï¿½tanque encyclopedia! Last month I met Martine Pilate, a charming lady and the grandniece of Ernest Pitiot. She just published a book about the history of pï¿½tanque. She showed me the very ï¿½boules cloutï¿½esï¿½ (nail-studded boules) her granduncle played with in 1910! Jac Verheul, Philippe Boets and Martine Pilate Every spring and fall year I teach hundreds of American tourists how to play at several hotels in the area.

Many of them see pï¿½tanque played while here, but they seldom get a chance to give it a shot themselves. So I show up around ï¿½apï¿½roï¿½ time, late afternoon, with lots of boules, explain the history of the game, go over the rules with actual examples and within a matter of minutes we start an informal tournament. The atmosphere is always great. There have been occasions where the maitre dï¿½ got upset because dinner was ready, but the guests insisted on finishing their game first! Moreover, I have met wonderful people in these groups. I can go to the World Championships, like Brussels this year. Last but not least I can be at the Obut factory in less than three hours if need be. Still, thanks to Internet (and phone calls getting cheaper), I stay in close touch with the office, with players, customers and sponsors in the US. Some even come to visit us here. Boules ready for UPS What is the US boules market like today? Like everywhere else, ï¿½genericï¿½ boules sets are now available at many stores and online.

We love competition (we wouldnï¿½t be pï¿½tanque players if we didnï¿½t), and the more boules are sold, the more people play, the better for the game. But it is sad to note that most stores in the US sell them at highly inflated prices, sometimes $ 50 and up. They're taking advantage of the fact that the game isn't well known. In Europe, where consumers do know the difference, those same sets sell at stores like Aldi or Carrefour for less than 10 Euro! Recently in a large department store in Miami, I saw a beautifully packaged, reasonably priced 8-boules set. I actually bought one because the box was so pretty. But guess what: the aim ball was way too big, made of gold colored steel, and the playing instructions inside the box were for ï¿½bocceï¿½, the Italian game, not for pï¿½tanque. So for the beginning player, it can be very confusing. In our particular case, sales go up slowly - slower than I had expected in 1991 - but steadily every year.

All we need is for the US dollar to gain some strength so we can start thinking about making a profit! What are the challenges of your business, in general and specifically in the US? There are several: (a) The notion that pï¿½tanque is only for older men. Itï¿½s normal: many Americans first saw pï¿½tanque played on a visit to France, and yes, often by older people, and yes, mostly men! Young people play a lot in France too, but during the week they are either in school or at work, so there are fewer opportunities to see them in action. Thatï¿½s one reason why we like to do pï¿½tanque demonstrations in schools. (b) Many people think that bocce and pï¿½tanque are identical. Bocce has been popular for a very long time, originally among Italian immigrants, and is widely known in the US. But anyone who has played both knows how substantially different they are. Sometimes we go as far as to liken it to the difference between tennis and badminton, to make the point.

On the other hand, the fastest way to describe pï¿½tanque to someone who has no idea about pï¿½tanque, is: ï¿½French bocceï¿½. A term I have used more than once at US Customs when arriving at the airport with boules! (c) It can be tough at times to convince our French counterparts that overseas markets, though still small today, are important. In general, I would love to see more English used at international competitions. (d) Something inherent to the boules business: the vast range of weights, diameters, patterns, and alloys. We usually have around 500 triplets in stock but not always what clients specifically request. Yet we have some combinations sitting on a shelf for 5 years! All boule distributors are familiar with that problem. Luckily most of our clients understand it and settle for a close subsitute. From the store (e) The most recent challenge is that importing any product into the US has become very unpredictable.

Of course we understand that inspections have to be more thorough than in the past, but when you have a shipment of boules stuck at the Port of Miami for over a month, as happened to us last November, while Christmas orders were coming in, there are times you want to throw in the towel. Or ï¿½kiss Fannyï¿½, to use our lingo! Besides all those hurdles, are there any rewards? Oh, yes ï¿½ if not I would have given up a long time ago. For example, when we organized the first Pï¿½tanque America Open, in 2003, we said letï¿½s get on the phone and call some people out of the blue who bought boules from us. Many were surprised: we were not trying to sell them anything, we just wanted to find out how they were getting on with the game, and if they would be interested in coming to Miami. No one hung up on us. The response was great. As a matter of fact a couple from El Paso, Texas, booked their flight that same night, participated in the tournament, and won $ 200! They had a blast and thanked us a thousand times.

They didnï¿½t even cash the check. We got a call from folks in Alabama who used to play horseshoes on weekends, and have recently switched to pï¿½tanque. Same place, same friends, but they say theyï¿½re now having more fun! We have customers who live in RVï¿½s and promote the game at every campground theyï¿½re staying at. Their orders always have a different ZIP code!Others ask us for advice on building a court at their summer home and invite us to stop by anytime. In July, for the fourth time, Smith Street in Brooklyn, NY was converted into 24 pï¿½tanque courts, for the Bastille Day tournament. Every year, more teams show up! Sonoma, CA has a weekly radio show with call-ins about pï¿½tanque. The enthusiasm we encounter is what keeps us going. American players who get hooked on the game are the best ambassadors for pï¿½tanque. They want to meet other players, they want to teach beginners, they really want us to succeed. Thatï¿½s why we are doing the Open Tournament in Miami Beach again this year in November.

Players will fly in from different cities in the US and Canada. We really hope that players from other countries will join as well, to experience ï¿½pï¿½tanque in Americaï¿½ firsthand. I am convinced they will not regret it. They will encounter an incredibly heterogeneous bunch of open, friendly, jovial people. They may also get their butt kicked! Mario and Marco in Florida

Question: As what is the game of 'petanque' better known?
Answer: BOULES